Bucks County seeks loan to redevelop Gauge site in Sellersville

The Bucks County Industrial Development Authority has applied for a loan that could be used to build businesses on the Sellersville property that was the former location of the U.S. Gauge facilities, located at 900 Clymer Ave. If granted, Sellersville could use the loan to develop and clean the property and construct buildings to house new businesses. The site would have to be used for manufacturing or corporate purposes, as the site is unfit for commercial use. 'It's a long-term, low-interest loan,' Peter Krauss, executive director of the Bucks County Industrial Development Authority, said. 'It's considered patient money, because we would not be required to pay it back until tenets for the buildings were procured.' Essentially, no money would be paid back until the site is profitable again. The property, which spans more than 40 acres, has been largely abandoned since U.S. Gauge properties were demolished in 1993 and 2010, according to News-Herald archives. Since then, the Industrial Development Authority has been working with Ametek, now the owner of U.S. Gauge, on acquiring the abandoned property in its entirety. 'We applied to the commonwealth for $4.5 million to the Commonwealth Financing Authority to acquire and improve the site,' Krauss said. 'U.S. Gauge spent many years cleaning up the site to a certain standard, although it's only approved for industrial and related purposes because of subsurface pollution. It's been taken care of and contained; the pollution won't spread.' If the loan were granted, the site would be cleaned and then divided into approximately nine parcels of 4 to 5 acres, according to Krauss. Then the Industrial Development Authority would work with businesses to develop the land. 'We would have to develop things like new roads, landscaping, lighting and sewer lines,' Krauss said. 'The loan would cover pre-development costs.' The benefit of developing the empty land is obvious, Sellersville Borough Manager David Rivet said. 'We would be improving a piece of land that right now is fallow,' he said. 'We could put it back into productive use. More than anything, it would bring in more businesses to generate jobs and income for the area.' Krauss estimated that the increase of jobs would be in the hundreds. He also said that the new businesses could combat the decrease in Bucks County's youth. 'Even though Bucks County's population grew by 15 percent since 1990, there has been a decline in the 17- to 34-year-old population,' he said. 'We're losing our young people because we're not offering the kinds of jobs they're looking for.' To entice a younger demographic, the Industrial Development Authority will look to bring high-tech businesses to the site. 'We want to bring in new businesses, but also help expand the current ones,' Krauss said. 'We're hopeful that because of the stress the region felt after U.S. Gauge left and the quality of the application, the loan will be granted.' Krauss said the decision should be in by late September. Around 12 applications were filed for a share of approximately $30 million in financing.